![smokeDetector[1]](https://i0.wp.com/freekeene.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/smokeDetector11.jpg)
In an order from the Supreme Court, the city has been put on the ropes in their attempt to appeal their loss in the smoke alarm case. In short, they jumped the gun and didn’t follow their own rules – AGAIN.
“Justice” Lynn’s order cites NH RSA 606:10,V that requires all the tentacles of the state to get permission from the Attorney General’s office to file an appeal: (more…)
In an apparent attempt to make themselves even less relevant in the 21st century, and like so many other newspaper websites, the Keene Sentinel is clamping down even further on their content. Managing Editor Paul Miller wrote a recent piece explaining the changes that went live on their website this week, which include limiting non-subscribers to only viewing ten articles per month. All this as their paid circulation rate has dropped more than 26% in the last five years.
It’s another move in a long series of desperate measures to extend the life of the 200+ year old paper. Several years ago, the Sentinel cut costs by reducing the width of the paper as well as reducing the total page count. They also raised prices to $0.75 daily and $1.75 Sundays. Potential buyers were being asked to pay more for a noticeably thinner paper. Guess what happened?
According to their certifier, the Alliance for Audited Media (aka the Audit Bureau of Circulations), the Sentinel’s paid daily average circulation numbers are seriously down in just the last five years. As of March 2013 their average paid circulation was 8,874. That’s down more than 26% from just five years ago in 2008 when they had 12,119. In 2003 they had 13,998 and in 1993 the total was 15,704. That means the paid circulation today is down 36% compared to ten years ago and down 43% to compared to twenty years ago. Ouch.
Put another way, in the ten years from 1993 to 2003, paid circulation rate dropped about 11%. In the next five years, to 2008, it dropped almost 14%. Finally, in five more years to 2013 it dropped nearly 27% – nearly DOUBLING the loss of the ’03-’08 timeframe! That huge loss happened after they chopped the paper size down and as more options for news opened up due to the proliferation of smartphones and tablets and as their older-age subscriber base continue to die off. With under 200 digital subscribers as of March 2013, it’s clear that their digital component is not coming close to making up the difference. The paper’s answer to this quandary is to lock their content down further? (more…)
While the “evidentiary hearing” in the Robin Hood case is set to continue this fall, heroic free speech attorney Jon Meyer has filed his motion to dismiss and memorandum of law in Cheshire superior court. In the memorandum, he outlines his reasons:
Meyer points out that the city’s claim of “tortious interference” on the part of the Robin Hooders fails to meet the requirements of a tort and if the city were successful in their case, the resulting order would violate the Robin Hooders‘ free speech rights. Even if the activists were not pleasant towards the parking enforcers, it would still be within their free speech rights, and the enforcers – as public employees – should not be shielded from criticism. Meyer is also an employment law attorney and points out employees have no right to work in a non-hostile work environment, as the city’s attorneys claim.
What will the city’s hired-gun attorneys say in response? Will there be a hearing on the motion to dismiss? Will the city’s precious case be tossed out? Stay tuned here to Free Keene for the latest on the Robin Hood saga.
As previously blogged here, attorney Jon Meyer recently proved in court that the people calling themselves the “City of Keene” have been illegally issuing “no trespass” orders to people they don’t want in Central Square. Now Meyer has filed a motion to dismiss the criminal trespass case against Robin Hooder Graham Colson. In the well-written motion, supportive memo, and supplemental memo, Meyer lays out his case about why the city’s no trespass orders are unconstitutional. In essence, they have no statutory or ordinance-based authority to issue a no-trespass order in response to a skateboarding violation, because receiving such an order is not listed as the punishments for skateboarding in city ordinance – this act is basically KPD making their own law! In addition, the order that was issued by KPD and “the city” violates Graham’s right to due process:
the act of prohibiting Colson from Keene Central Square violates the Due Process Clause because Colson did not have any notice that skateboarding in the Keene Central Square would result in a police order prohibiting him from entering the square.
Meyer also argues the order is an unconstitutional violation of Graham’s free speech rights as it bans him from a public common, historically used to express ideas.
Finally, in the supplemental memo Meyer points out that the no trespass order was issued without any conviction of Graham for his alleged skateboarding violation. In fact, it was issued instead of charging Graham with violating the skateboarding ordinance. This the executive branch, via the orders of Keene boss John Maclean, acting as the judicial and legislative branches. The city council never authorized such a penalty for skateboarding and a charge was never brought before a court, meaning Graham’s due process rights were clearly violated. Legally, Keene police officer Jason Short is only allowed to allege a violation – those charges need to be proven in court. Instead, Short found him guilty on the spot and imposed punishment in the form of the illegal “no trespass” order.
The amount of government malfeasance in this case is astounding. Thank you Jon Meyer.
Darryl and I delivered the following notice today to the people calling themselves the “City of Keene”. The notice is to inform the city people that 73 and 75 Leverett St. are ministers’ parsonages and that we will no longer participate in their system of coercive taxes. However, we may elect to give them a voluntary contribution to support the city programs (like road repair) that we support:
Notice From the Ministers of the Shire Free Church: Keene
2013-09-02
To our neighbors calling themselves the “City of Keene”:
Greetings!
You are now on notice that as of June 27th, 2013 the property commonly known as 73 and 75 Leverett Street has become ministers’ parsonages for the Shire Free Church.
One of the central tenets of our interfaith ministry is peace. Historically, people calling themselves “The City” or “The State” have engaged in systematic threatening of peaceful people. You have jargon for this, like “taxes,” “statutes,” and “ordinances.” (more…)
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